Improvement in flour-bolts and reels



atoit (that JOHN R. BRADFIELD, OF ADA, MICHIGAN.

Letters Patent No. l13,972,'dated April 25, 1871.

IMPROVEMENT IN FLOUR-BOLTS ANDREELS.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and. making part of thesame.

To whom 'it may concern Be it known that JOHN R. BRADFIELD, of Ada., inthe county of Kent and Statel of Michigan, have invented a new anduseful Improvement in Sectional Flounolts and Reels; arid Ifdo declarethat the fol-1 sections and Figure 3 is an elevation partly in sectionof the reel-head.Y

Like letters indicate like parts in each vfigure.

This invention has for its object au improvement in the construction ofdoor-bolts and reels, whereby,v

in a reel of a given length, the meal is subjected'to the action of amuch greater area of bolting surface, and is more frequently turned overthan in a reel of the saine length constructed in the usual manner.

The invention consists in dividing the reel into longitudinal chambersby radial partitionsl extending from the arms at the head to those atthe foot of the reel, and in each chamber so formed placing a frame ofcorresponding shape covered on all sides with boltingcloth, leavingyaspace for the passage of the our between the internal faces of the boltand the adjacent partitions; also in the general construction of itsvarious parts, as more fully hereinafter lset forth, 'thev saidimprovements being edually applicable to all rotating screens used forthe separation and cleaning of grain and seeds.

In the drawing- A represents a boltng-chest provided with the diaphragmsa t at the head and foot of the reel, respectively, the former forpreventing flying specks from reaching the flour which passes down thecentral compartment7 and the latter the admixture of the bran dischargedat the foot of the reel with the hour.

c is the feed-chute through the upper end of the chest.

lB is the reel-shaft journaled in the ends of the bolting-chest,andslightly inclined from head to foot.

The shaft is rotated by belt or gearing from any convenient source ofpower, Aand is provided, near the ends ot the chest, with radial armsB', preferably six at each end.

yC are'partitions radiating from the shaft and extending from the armsat the head to-those at the foot of the reel, dividing the reel into sixtriangular compartments in the direction of its length.

D is a head secured to the shaft against the upper reel-arms to closethe upper ends of the compartments.

In the head is a series of feed-openings, one open ing into eachcompartrnant,vv and provided with a regulating-slide, E. p

On the head D is secured 'an internally-inclined .or beveled flange, F,into which the end of the feed-spout c projects.

G.' are triangular frames, covered on the sides with bolting-cloth G',resting at each end on ledges d at the ends of the partitions C, so asto leave a space between the internal faces and'apexes and the adjacentpartitions.

The frames are secured in their compartments by buttons e, or by anyother suitable means, so that they may 'readil y be removed.

The operation' of my improved bolting apparatus is as follows:

The meal enters ,successively each compartment as it reaches the lowestpoint of the periphery, falling on the outer face o'f the `triangle; asit proceeds up it falls against one of the 'inner faces of the triangleuntil that face is tangent above the horizontal plane, when it is thrownto the other inner face, and so on in the continued rotation of thereel.

It is evident that the greater area of bolting surface presented to themeal, (three times that of a reel encircled with it in the usual mannen)and the frequency with which it is turned over, must insure a rapid andthorough separation of the iiour from the bran and its-discharge fromthe bolt.

The flour which passes' through the interior faces of the bolt-sectionsfalls on4 the partitions and is by them discharged tothe conveyor, whilethe bran is discharged from the ends-of the bolt-sections in the usual4manner.

It is not necessarythatthe reel shall be hexagonal in form, nor thebolt-sections to be triangular in section, only that the former shall bepolygonal, and that the sections of bolting-frames shall approximatelycor? respond thereto.

This improvement is equally applicablegto the reels of all grain andseed-cleaners and separators.

The discharge of the meal through thebolt-sect-ions depends upon thepitch of the reel-shaft.

The reel and bolt so constructed can be of lcssthan one-half the lengthof one having the cloth encircle it and do the same amount of work, andrequires less power to drive it, as the reel is more nearly in balanceas it has meal in all the sections at once, `while in the ordinaryreel'the entire weight of the meal is at the bottom; the reel and easebeing much shorter occupy less room and cost less to build, and whenrepairs to the cloth are necessary the section needing such repairs onlyneed be removed to make them, while the reel may continue in use byclosing the slide of the empty compartment.

In reels of the ordinary construction Where .the bolting surface hasalways the same area, where they cannot be fed with meal fast enough,from lack of power to grind, the'tlour is apt to'be specky l \With myimproved apparatus, from low water or fromv any other c`ause, IY amenabled. to obvate this difficulty -by shutting oli` one or. more'sections,'a1:id thus limit the boltiug capacity to the volume of mealdelivered to it.

n jWhat I claim as my invention, and desire to Vsecure by LettersPatent, is-.

H. F. Emails, JAS. OBRIEN.

